Nuaire’s James makes a splash in Kier Living Charity Paddle Board Race

Always up for a sporting challenge, James Mullane from Nuaire has gone the extra mile to show his support for valued customers, Kier Living, by taking part in their 13 mile stand up paddle board race in aid of the Welsh Velindre Cancer Care charity.

This summer, the Kier Group has organised an ambitious company-wide charity event to raise money for worthy causes and make a point about sustainable living. The ‘500 Miles’ challenge links up all of its UK sites and offices in a green relay using non-motorised forms of transport. The race concluded this week for the Kier Living team in charge of the high profile Cardiff Pointe development in the capital’s bay area.

The Kier Living team made a watery contribution in the form of a team of Stand Up Paddle boarders, sponsored by a host of suppliers including ventilation manufacturer, Nuaire. In bright sunshine and favourable paddling conditions, the team of 11 Kier Living staff, including project managers, site managers, quantity surveyors, commercial, development and design managers, donned board shorts and mounted their 10ft paddle boards in the River Taff and began the gruelling 13 mile course up and down the River Taff to the River Ely via Cardiff Bay.

Nuaire Residential Sales Manager, James has worked closely with the Kier Living design team, helping them source low-energy ventilation systems for luxury apartments and larger homes at the Cardiff Pointe development. Upon hearing of the unusual charity event, James was keen to donate sponsorship money to support a worthy cause, and was keener still to take part.

He commented: “I’ve taken part in a few charity challenges over the years but this one was definitely the hardest by far. Racing 13 miles on paddle board in 26oC heat is hard work. We had a really good team of people from Kier Living so that made it somewhat easier; however towards the final couple of miles I must admit that I was glad to see the finish line. I know several people with various types of cancer so I know how worthwhile charitable events like this can be.”

See James and the team live from training!

Kier Living Design Coordinator, Louise Harris said: “The 13 mile race required real stamina and strength, and the many hours of training put in by the team really paid off. The weather was perfect and the whole team united to pull each other through five hours in the sizzling heat. James’ contribution was paramount to our successful completion of the race. He was a strong team member and helped set a good pace for the team, ensuring we didn’t rush or lag behind. The task was definitely not for the faint-hearted and, even with less training than the others, James was fantastic and proved to be a superb team member.”

“The aim of the challenge was to raise as much money as possible for Velindre Cancer Centre and the £400 donation from Nuaire gave us a great boost to achieve our fundraising goal. To date we have raised over £2290 with donations still pouring in.”